Illuminate My Heart
by Nerdius
Summary: 50s AU; Eugene and Rapunzel finally see the fireworks (Entry for New Dream Week: Day 2 on tumblr)


Rapunzel unclasped her hands, only to quickly clasp them again. She twirled her thumbs, shifting her position for what seemed like the fifth time since they'd gotten on the Ferris wheel. The car swayed gently underneath her, and she could feel Eugene stiffen slightly. A small part of her wondered if he was afraid of heights, and, if so, why he insisted going on this ride.

She flattened her skirt again. A loose strand of her blonde hair had escaped the elaborate braid she'd had done the moment she arrived at the fair, which she quickly tuck behind her ear. Her stomach was in knots making her feel slightly nauseous.

There was a soft chuckle from beside her. She turned her head to see Eugene covering his mouth, and trying his best to hide a smile. She probably was acting a bit silly, but she couldn't help it. She'd been dreaming of coming to the Sun Festival for _years_. Watching the fireworks go off from a small window in the middle of nowhere wasn't the same as seeing them in person.

Now that she was here, she was starting to get a little…overwhelmed.

"Sorry," she told him, giving Eugene a weak smile. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

Eugene shook his head. "Don't know why," he shrugged. "Everything's going to be fine, Blondie; trust me. Not only are you going to see the fireworks, but you're gonna have the best seat in the house."

She smiled at him, "Yeah, I know. Thank you, by the way."

"Well, I aim to please."

"But I just," she started, but broke off with a sigh. "I've been watching the fireworks go off from my window since I could walk, wondering about what it would be like to see them for myself." She pursed her lips, turning her gaze to her lap. "What if it's not what I thought it would be?"

"It will be," he assured her with a smile.

With another sigh, she laughed weakly, before looking at him again. "And then what? What do I do then?"

Thinking for a moment, Eugene said, "That's the best part, really." He smiled softly at her, "You get to find a new dream."

She smiled back, the nauseous feeling in her stomach fading a bit. "I guess you're right."

They sat there, watching each other, before Eugene cleared his throat. "They should be starting soon," he told her awkwardly, glancing towards the sky. Rapunzel felt her face warm up, and she quickly looked away.

Time passed slowly, and as the night grew older, the temperature plummeted. She rubbed her arms, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. She'd lost her cardigan the day before while they were trying to get away from some cops.

"Here," Eugene spoke next to her. She shot him a curious look, until she realized what he was trying to do. In his hands he held the leather jacket he'd been wearing all through their journey. "Go on, take it. You need it more than I do."

Taking it with a grateful smile, Rapunzel slipped the jacket on. While it was probably snug for Eugene, it was almost two sizes too big for her. The sleeves extended past her hands, causing her to roll up the sleeves several times. It smelled vaguely like cigarette smoke, combined with a strong musky forest scent. Smiling just a bit wider, she pulled the jacket around her tightly, sealing in the warmth of its past owner.

She turned to look at Eugene again. He was leaning forward, arms propped on his knees. His chin was resting in one of the palms of his hands as he looked up into the sky, waiting for the fireworks to begin. He was tapping his foot lightly, lips pursed tight.

With a start, she realized this was the first time she'd seen him without it on. Even when they first met, the day she'd accidentally knocked him unconscious when he broke into her house, insisting that his name was Flynn Rider, he was wearing the leather jacket. When they had to walk in the rain because they'd ended up having to ditch his motorcycle because it was too recognizable, he hadn't even taken it off to shield the downpour.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something, _anything_, when a loud voice cut through the idle music that had been playing just moments before. Both she and Eugene jumped back in surprise, causing the car to rock, and Eugene to curse quickly under his breath.

"_Dear fair-goers of 1957," _The voice started cheerfully. From their height, she could see people from down below slowly stop milling around, all eager to hear what the announcement was. "_We are pleased to share that it's time for the fireworks show! In just a moment, most of the fair lights will go out. When that happens, please turn your attention to the skies, and prepare to witness the renowned fireworks spectacular of Corona County's annual Sun Fair!" _

Almost immediately after the voice faded, all the colorful lights from the fair shut off one section at a time in an instant. She stiffened at the sudden darkness. "Eugene…?"

He hushed her, and she made a sour face. A snappy remark formed in her head, but before she could voice it, something else caught her attention.

It was a single streak of light, shooting up quickly into the sky. Even from her distance, she could hear the crackling sound as it rose, quickly fizzing away into nothing. For a moment, nothing else happened, and Rapunzel's shoulders dipped forward. Maybe it really _wasn't _as good as she thought it was going to be…

Suddenly, the night was filled with loud explosions, and beautiful colors as the fireworks went off, illuminating the darkness. A grin quickly plastered itself onto her face, and she lurched out of her seat, grasping the front railing of the car and sticking herself as far out of the cabin as safely possible. Eugene grabbed car's side as the entire thing rocked violently, letting out a string of curses that was lost to the resounding _BOOM_s of the fireworks.

"Oh my gosh, Eugene," she breathed. "Look at them!"

"Yeah," he told her, trying to calm his racing heart. "Yeah, they're great." He took a deep breath, before looking over at Rapunzel's eyes were wide in fascination; the glow from the explosions tinting her in different colors every second. Despite the fear he'd experienced just a moment before, he found a warm smile growing on his face. Once the car steadied, he let go of the edge, leaning a bit forward himself. "They really are great, right?"

"_Great_?" She looked over at him, laughing. "They're _beautiful, _Eugene!" He quickly joined in with his own chuckles, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe it, I'm actually here," she said with laugh. She could care less if her Mother found her right now! Nothing would ruin this day.

She stood there, leaning out of the car for a few more minutes when she heard Eugene call her name from over the noise of the fireworks. Turning, she found him holding out an unlit sparkler towards her. Hesitating for only a moment, she sat back next to him on the seat. With a smile, she took the sparkler from him.

He pulled out a lighter from his jeans pocket. Flicking it on, Eugene quickly lit both sparklers, making a face as he nearly burned his hand by the jumping sparks. Rapunzel barely suppressed the giggle that tried to pass her lips.

"Now _this _is a good way to end a fair, don't you think," He asked her, switching the sparkler to his other hand. He leaned slightly, hesitantly looking over the edge of the railing, down to the fair-goers below.

Rapunzel nodded happily, "Definitely." He shot her a quick smile, before returning his attention to the ground.

Biting her lip, she thought of what she should do. Hesitantly, she scooted over closer to him, and resting her head on his shoulder. Feeling his back and shoulder tense up, she instantly wondered if she'd crossed some sort of line, and was about to jump away from him when he relaxed almost as quickly. He wrapped his free arm around her, gently placing it on her waist. Rapunzel felt her heart flutter rapidly in her chest.

She was nervous…but a good nervous. Or, at least that's what she thought.

"Happy birthday, Rapunzel," he told her quietly.

"Thanks, Eugene."

Together, they watched the fireworks quietly; both wondering if they'd each just found their new dreams.


End file.
